Children’s Hospital of Orange County, CHOC, and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego announced today that the merger between their parent companies closed, creating a new combined healthcare system called Rady Children’s Health.
The merger followed approval by the California Office of the Attorney General, community hearings, and other regulatory reviews and approvals.
CHOC and Rady Children’s announced merger plans in December 2023, after more than a decade of collaboration.
Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, who has served as the president and CEO of CHOC since 1997, and Patrick A. Frias, MD, who was appointed president and CEO of Rady Children’s in 2018, will be co-CEOs of Rady Children’s Health.
“This merger marks a pivotal moment in our organizations’ rich histories and highlights our commitment to achieving unparalleled excellence in patient care, education, research and advocacy,” Cripe said in a statement. “Together, we are poised to make an even greater impact on the health and well-being of children for generations to come.”
CHOC and Rady Children’s will build on their respective affiliations with the University of California and its medical schools at UC Irvine and UC San Diego.
Each hospital will maintain separate medical staff, local governing boards and onsite leadership.
